The Bucket Hat

By Edwin Ivey


Also known as fishing hats, the bucket hat is hard-wearing even though they are usually made from a soft material, such as denim or canvas. They are a bell-type shape with a constant round rim that points outwards. They are popular with fishermen due to their longevity, shape and design, as the rim assists keep the sun off the face of the wearer, and the small metal circles at the sides of the hat help the head cool off on summer days.

Their tough make-up indicates that the bucket hat provides itself effectively to lots of outdoor tasks and not just fishing. This may be sports such as tennis or golf, or it could be more general outdoor pursuits like mountain or hill trekking. They are normally made from easy fabrics such as cotton, but often Gore-Tex could be utilized, and this variation of hat is especially preferred by outdoor pursuit types as they are multi-purpose for the differing periods. The container hat, and its slight variations, is decorated all over the world, by all kinds of individuals, and for a variety of reasons. Container hats are often used by glider aviators as they shade the face from the sun, but still enable the aviator to have a near 360 degree view. Australians call them the laugh hat, and in Tanzania they are popular with the Iragw people seniors.

Described as an ispoti in South Africa, they are very popular with black youths, and are seen as a vital part of metropolitan style. Rafael Eitan, the Israeli general and politician, was often seen wearing one, and thus, in Israel they are called "Rafael hats". The tembel hat is regarded as the national hat of Israel, and the container hat is really similar in style to this type of hat.

The bucket hat has had a prominent part in popular culture across the years. In the US, they were associated with the popular TELEVISION show "Gilligan's Island" throughout the 60s, as the main character put on one in almost every single episode. For even more than 30 years they have been welcomed by hip-hop culture and fashion. This began when the Sugar Hill Gang's Big Bank Hank was initially seen wearing one in the music video to Rap artist's pleasure, and continued in 1983, when LL Cool J, at the age of 16, was pictured wearing one. They were popularized further when they were seen worn by Run DMC in the mid/late 80s, and Jah Guideline in the 90s.

A bucket hat is frequently described as "Reni hats" in the UK, as Alan Wren, The Stone Roses drummer, seemed to use his continuously at the height of the band's popularity in the late 80s/early 90s. He usually chose a plain color one, however was also seen wearing a multi-colored, paint splattered variation, inspired by the artist Jackson Pollack. Throughout the 90s, in the UK, container hats made another return when the music/fashion link was witnessed again, with the development of the band Oasis. They were a favorite of lead singer Liam Gallagher, meaning they were a style staple of the festival-going Indie group, in the mid-late 90s.




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